From darkness to light: the new Gallery of Kings
The transition from darkness to light, a concept cherished by the ancient Egyptians, is the defining stylistic feature of the reimagined Gallery of Kings, curated by the egyptologists of the Museo Egizio: Johannes Auenmüller, Paolo Del Vesco, Alessandro Girardi, Cédric Gobeil, Federico Poole, and Martina Terzoli. The statues are bathed in both natural and artificial light from the windows, which are no longer covered as in the past under the scenic design by Oscar-winning Dante Ferretti. Reflective aluminum walls create a brighter, ethereal atmosphere, highlighting the statues of gods and pharaohs with solemnity.
The original architecture of the monumental statues, dating back to the 17th century, has been fully exposed by the OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) studio. This return to the original design emphasizes the vaults and tall windows that define the space, making visible two important inscriptions celebrating the Museum's origins. These were added in the late 19th century by Minister Luigi Cibrario, one in memory of Bernardino Drovetti, who sold the first collection to Carlo Felice of Savoy, and the other honoring Jean-François Champollion, the father of Egyptology, who came to Turin to study the Drovetti collection.
From an egyptological perspective, visiting the Gallery of Kings is almost like a journey inside an ancient Egyptian temple. The statues, no longer on pedestals but lowered to the floor, resemble their original positioning in the courtyards of ancient temples, where gods and pharaohs maintained a close relationship with the people, providing a direct, face-to-face connection that visitors now experience with the statues.
The proximity to the statues allows visitors to observe new details previously inaccessible, such as the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the throne of Thutmose I's statue or the back of Horemheb's headdress. In the center of the first room stands the statue of Ramses II, surrounded by other pharaohs, arranged for the first time in chronological order. When Jean-François Champollion first saw the statue in Turin, he called it the "Apollo of the Egyptian Belvedere." In a letter from 1824, he wrote, “I am in love with it, and I will bring a good plaster copy of this statue's bust to Paris. You will see if my passion is not justified.”
The Gallery of Kings also features the goddesses Sekhmet. The 21 statues of Sekhmet have been recontextualized, inspired by the funerary temple of Amenhotep III at Thebes (modern Luxor), their original site. This series highlights both rhythmic repetition and individual details, which stand out when viewed up close in natural light. In the new display, they truly form "A monumental litany of granite," as described in a famous publication by French Egyptologist Jean Yoyotte.
Intesa Sanpaolo is the main partner of the renovation of the Gallery of Kings, with the support of Alpitour World.
